THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM · 2015. 2. 11. · MaximilianI,vonHabsburg Austrian,1459-1519 Weisskunig(TheWhiteKing) Vienna,1775 includingthemasteryofswordsmanshipandothermartial skills.HansBurgkmair(1473-1531

ILLUSTRATED FENCING BOOKS 15OO-1800

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Tiê ^^cadmy oftfie Swor({

ILLUSTRATED FENCING BOOKS 15OO-180O

Donald J. LaRocca

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK

Copyrigritect maErlal

This publication is issued in conjunction witii the exhibi-

tion "The Academy of the Sword: Illustrated Fencing

Books, 1500-1800," held at The Metropolitan Museum of

Art, New York, fromJune 9, 1998, to fall of 1999.

This publication is made possible byJoseph A. Suarez, Esq.,

The Armor and Arms Club ofNew York, and the Grancsay

Fund.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

John P. O'Neill, Editor in Chief

Barbara Cavaliere, Editor

Sean Flaherty, Production

Design by Robert Weisberg

Copyright © 1998 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art,

New York

Second printing 1999

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, record-

ing, or any information storage and retrieval system, vnth-

out permission in writing from the publishers.

Black-and-white photography by Susanne Cardone

and Paul Lachenauer of The Photograph Studio,

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Printed and bound by Malloy Lithographing, Inc.,

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Cover illustration: Anthon Friedrich Kahn, Anfangsgrunde

der Fechtkunst . . . (see page 18)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

LaRocca, Donald J.

The academy of the sword: iUusttated fencing

books 1500-1800 / Donald J. LaRocca.

p. cm.

Exhibition heldJune 1998 through the fell of 1999

at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

ISBN 0-87099-894-3 (pbk)

I. Fencing in art—Êxhibitions. 2. Fencing

—

Textbooks—Îllustrations—Exhibitions. 3. Illustrated

books—New York (State)—New York—Êxhibitions.

4. Mettopolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.).

Arms and Armor Dept. I. Metropolitan Museum of

Art (New York, N.Y) II. Tide.

N8217.F4L37 1998

796.86—dc2i 98-50294

CIP

introduction

The Academy of the Sword centers on an assemblage of

rare illustrated books devoted to the subject of fencing

and dueling, drawn (with one exception) from the library

oftheArms andArmor Department of The Metropolitan

Museum of Art. The tide is taken from Girard Thibault's

Acadimie de I'Espee (Leiden, 1628), the most lavish fencing

book ever produced, which was kindly lent by the

Museum's Thomas J. Watson library. Accompanjring the

books and giving vivid impact to their illustrations are a

selection of swords, rapiers, parrying daggers, bucklers,

and other accoutrements, which follow the chronology

of, and changes in, fighting styles depicted in the books.

These weapons were frequently treated not only as

sidearms, but also as fashionable costume accessories.

The decoration of hilts, scabbards, and belts often exem-

plifies the prevailing artistic styles of a given period,

from Renaissance and Mannerism through Baroque and

Rococo to Neoclassical. Hilts were designed by well-

known engravers such as Hans Sebald Beham and Virgil

SoUs, leading goldsmiths including Wenzel Jamnitzer

and Luigi Valadier, and major artists from Hans Holbein

and Giulio Romano toJacques Louis David.

Today the term "fencing" calls to mind familiar

images of a competitive sport, but in the past, rather

than a sporting event, "fencing" referred to practical

methods of self-defense. Early books on fencing, prior to

about 1800, were concerned with the proper handling

of weapons, which was an integral part of the education

of European noblemen. Formalized training in the use of

arms was also widely practiced by sons of the middle

class—burghers, merchants, and craftsmen. This democ-

ratization of martial skills was due in part to the dissem-

ination of illustrated fencing books, written by the

foremost Masters of Arms—highly regarded profession-

als who were skilled in the use of weapons.

The earliest book included here is a sixteenth-century

manuscript copy of a fifteenth-century treatise, which

deals principally with judicial single combat between

armored opponents equipped with a variety of weapons.

Most fencingbooks of the sixteenth century are concerned

with bouts between unarmored duelists but continue to

include the use of several diflFerent weapons: sword and

rapier used alone or in tandem with a dagger, shield, or

even a cloak in the left hand; the use of the two-handed

sword, spear, halberd and quarter-staff; and methods of

unarmed combat. By the early seventeenth century the

rapier, a long, slender trusting sword, began to domi-

nate as the gentleman's weapon of choice, and most

books of the period become increasingly devoted to the

use of the rapier alone or with a left-hand dagger. During

the course of the century, as civilian fencing techniques

became more specialized and refined, the rapier devel-

oped into a Ugihter, trimmed-down weapon known by

about 1700 as the smallsword. The smallsword, often

richly decorated, remained an integral part of a gentie-

man's wardrobe until the wearing of swords in civilian

settings went out of fashion at the end of the eighteenth

century, at which time pistols were replacing swords as

the weapons most fi«quently used in personal duels.

During the early nineteenth cenmry swordsmanship pro-

gressively diverged between military training and sport-

ing practice, from which modern competitive fencing

developed.

Between 1500 and 1800 fencing was known as "the art

and science of defense." The books and weapons

included in The Academy of the Sword offer an overview of

ways in which fencing was taught and the arms with

which it was practiced during these three centuries.

Acknowledgments

Valuable help regarding the history of fencing and

fencing books was generously given by J. Christoph

Amberger, Richard J. Gradkowski, and S. Matthew

Galas. Advice concerning translations was kindly

provided by Stefano Carboni, Helmut Nickel, andJames

D. Lavin. Our gratitude is also extended to Joseph A.

Suarez, Esq., and The Armor and Arms Club of NewYork, whose support made this publication possible.

3

Books

Hans TalhofFer

German, recorded 1435-82

Fechtbuch (Fencing Book)

Gift of Miss Marguerite Keasbey, 1926 26.236

This volume is a rare early-sixteenth-century copy of one

of the earliest surviving European fencing manuals, Hans

TaUiolTer's influential Fechtbuch (Fencing Book), written in

1443. TalhofFer was following a tradition established by

Johannes Liechtenauer, an itinerant master swordsman of

the fourteenth century who recorded the secrets of his

fighting techniques in the form of cryptic verses. The

Talhoffer manuscript includes verses from Liechtenauer,

sections devoted to the procedures for fighting judicial

combats both with and without armor, and the use of the

weapons employed in such combats, including the highly

specialized Stechschilde (thrusting shields), maces, long

swords, spears, and daggers. There are also sections on

knife fighting and wrestling, the latter based on the meth-

ods of Ott the Jew, a renowned wrestling master to the

archdukes of Austria.

Maximilian I, von HabsburgAustrian, 1459-1519

Weisskunig (The White King)

Vienna, 1775

including the mastery of swordsmanship and other martial

skills. Hans Burgkmair (1473-1531) designed 117 of the

woodcuts, some of which are considered among his most

accomplished works. One of many elaborate projects ini-

tiated by Maximilian to perpetuate his memory, the book

was not pubUshed in its entirety until this edition of 1775.

5

Weisskunig is an allegorical autobiography written by

Maximilian (who reigned as king of the Romans from i486

and as Holy Roman Emperor from 1493) and his private

secretary Marx Treitzsaurwein (d. 1527) beginning about

1506. Illustrated with 251 woodcut prints, the book tells the

story of Maximilian's Ufe and describes his many talents,

CopyrigniM mntPi'l.il

S E C O N D O i 'i

SECVITA EL SECONDO LIBRO EtavALE TRATTAjDE ABATTIMENTI DE ARME DA FILO VA

RIATE LVNO DA LALTRO,

Ccap.jCChedinoM Spada c Pugnalc,

>^ VESTO SIE vnoabattimcntomoltopcrfcttcpcrfarcacortcF^

V^^'atcdeSpadaePiignaIeBolognefc:Notachc tuchc vorrai infcgna

're chc in i 'arte de farc,a cortcllate no fc po fare piu clic in li fcriri natu

ralmcntccioc mandritto, c rouerfo,e llocata,ma piu tcdico,chel fc pofarc niol

ti altri feriri,nia gcncralmcfe quali ogni homo tira cofi. Hora nota chc ho lira

corfo dc fantafia bona,ac ogli me(Te,quclc cofc chc a me hannoparfe piu bre<

ue,& piu vtile,per vno chc havidTe a combattcrc fi che nota per regola vera.

Achille MarozzoItalian, born 1484

Ojpera nova de Achille Marozzo Bolognese, mastro generale

de I'arte de I'armi

(New Work by Achille Marozzo of Bologna, Master General

of the Art of Arms)

Modena, 1536

Marozzo was among the earliest in a long line of renowned

Bolognese swordsmen who published influential fencing

books. His Opera Nova was reprinted several times between

1536 and 1568 and is considered the first printed fencing

book to have received relatively wide distribution.

Marozzo's stated aim was to explain the proper use of all

weapons necessary to a man in defending his honor. Heincludes the use of the sword alone and with a dagger held

in the left hand or with difierent t3fpes of small shields or

even with a cloak (wrapped around the left arm); of two

swords (one in each hand); of the large two-handed

sword; and of various types of shafted weapons (spears,

pikes, halberds, etc.). One chapter is devoted to unarmed

defense against the dagger. Marozzo also discusses the rules

governing formal single combat between noblemen.

Achille MarozzoItalian, born 1484

Arte deU'armi di Achille Marozzo Bolognese

(The Art of Arms, by AchiUe Marozzo of Bologna)

Venice, 1568

Published after Marozzo's death, the text, with some mod-

ifications to reflect changes in fighting styles, remains basi-

cally that of the Opera Nova of 1536. The original woodcuts

have been replaced with engravings by Giovanni Battista

Fontana (1524-1587), and Giulio Fontana (d. 1569). Giulio

Fontana added a new preface to the 1568 edition dedicated

to Don Giovanni Manriche, Camerieri di S. M. Cesarea,

probably referring to Juan Manrique, chamberlain to

Elizabeth Valois (1545-1568), queen of Spain. Fontana goes

on to mention his illustrations for another fencing book,

Camillo Agrippa's Trattato di Scienza d'Arme, published

two weeks before Marozzo's Arte dell'Armi, which he had

also dedicated to Don Giovanni Manriche.

PRIMA

Viturt per il Ct^c

Camillo AgrippaItalian, active 1535-95

Trattato di scienza d'arme et un dialogo in detta materia

(Treatise on the Science ofArms and a Dialogue on the Same

Theme)

Venice, 1568

The first edition of the Trattato was published by

Agrippa in Rome in 1553 with a dedication to Cosimo

de Medici (1519-1574), duke of Florence. This is the

second edition, with new illustrations by Giulio

Fontana. Both editions conclude with a philosophi-

cal dialogue between Agrippa and the humanist

writer Annibale Caro (1507-1566), famous for his ver-

nacular translation of Virgil's Aeneid. Unlike.

Marozzo, Agrippa was not a professional in the sci-

ence of arms. However, Agrippa's fighting tech-

niques were innovative, based on practical

application, and in many ways represented an

improvement upon Marozzo's methods. Agrippa's

other published works concern engineering, mathe-

matics, and philosophy.

R A G I O N E

DI ADOPRARSICVRAMENTE L'ARME

SI DA OFFESA, COME DA DIFESA,

Conun Trattato dell inganno,& con un mododi clTcr-

ciiarfi da fc ftcflb, per acqiiiftarc forza,

giudicio , & prcllciza

,

Dl GIACOMO DI GRASS I.

CON P R I V I I. F. G I O

.

In VcmtU , 'fftjf' Ciordiim Zileiti , & nrnfugm

.

M D L XX.

Giacomo di Grassi

ItaKan, active second half of the i6th century

Ragione di adoprar sicuramente Varme si da offesa, come da difesa,

con un trattato deU'inganno, 6r con un modo di essercitarsi da se

stesso, per acquistareforza, giudicio, ir prestezza

(The Correct Method of Safely Using Arms, Bothfor Offense, as Well as

for Defense, with a Treatise on Deceit, and with a Way to Train cm

One's Own, in Order to Obtain Strength, Judgment, and Dexterity)

Venice, 1570

Di Grassi's techniques exemplified the widely emulated

Italian school. His book became the first surviving

EngUsh-language fencing book when it was translated and

published in London in 1594. The majority of di Grassi's

text is devoted to fencing with sword and dagger, buckler,

or cloak, in addition to use of the sword alone. He looks

forward to advanced rapier techniques of the seventeenth

century by stressing the superiority of a thrust over a cut-

ting blow whenever possible. He was the first to catego-

rize the sword blade as having four sections distincdy

suited for attack or defense, and to define the concept of

"Unes" of defense—înside, outside, high, or low—as they

are still understood in modern fencing.

Angelo Viggiani

Italian, active second half of the i6th century

Lo schermo d'Angelo Viggiani dal Montone da Bologna

(Fencing, hy Angelo Viggiani dal Montone, from Bologna)

Venice, 1575

Viggiani, who had been a soldier under the emperor

Charles V, wrote this book in 1560 after leaving imperial

service and returning to his homeland. It was published

posthumously some fifteen years later by Viggiani's

brother Battista. Like Agrippa and di Grassi, Viggiani

emphasized the use of the thrust as more effective than

the cut, going further than his predecessors in defining

positions for attacking with the point. He was among the

first to favor a stance in which the right foot is always fore-

most and to describe an attack that can be considered a

lunge in modern fencing terms.

ABOVE

Joachim MeyerGerman, active leth-i/th century

Griindtliche Beschreihung derfreyen ritterlichen unnd adelichen Kutist

des Fecktens in allerley gebreudilichen Wehren mit vil schonen und

niitzlichen Rguren gezieret undflirgestellet

(A Thorough Description of the Free Knightly and Noble Art of

Fencing, in All the Typical Guards, Adorned and Arranged with

Many Beautiful and Useful Figures)

Strasbourg, 1570

Gift of Christian A. Zabriskie, 1957 57.118

Meyer was one of the most influential later proponents of

the German long sword, following the techniques first codi-

fied two centuries earKer byJohannes Liechtenauer. Meyer's

manual appeared in four editions between 1570 and 1660. It is

divided into five sections, the first and longest dealing with

the art of the long sword. The others include instruction in

the Dussack (a saberKke wooden practice weapon indigenous

to Germany), rapier techniques based on the Italian school,

dagger fighting, and the use of various staff weapons.

Luis Pacheco de NarvaezSpanish, active late i6th-early 17th century

Ltbro de ks grandezas de la espada, enquese dedaran

muchos secretos del que compuso el Comendador Geronimo

de Carranga

(Book of the Greatness of the Sword, in WhichMany of the Secrets

of the Methods Developed by Comeiulador Germinw de Carranfa

Are Explained)

Madrid, i€oo

Narvdez, along with his predecessor Geronimo de

Carranga, was one of the founders of an enduring and dis-

tinctive school of rapier fencing, which was practiced in

Spain and its dominions from the late sixteenth century

until the late eighteenth century. Notable features of the

Spanish style included a very upright stance and circular

footworkbased on complex geometric principles.

Salvator Fabris (Salvatore Fabrizzio?)

Italian (Padua), 1544-1617Q)

De lo sdiermo overo sdenza d' arme di Salvator Fabris capo dell'

Ordine dei Sette Cori

(About Fencing, or Rather, the Science of Arms, by Salvator Fabris,

Head of the Order of the Seven Hearts)

Copenhagen, t6o6

Published with the patronage of Christian W, king of

Denmark, this book was very important in promoting the

Italian style of rapier fencing in northern Europe, and was

reprinted as late as 1713. Avoiding the philosophical inter-

polations otherwise common to the genre, Fabris wrote a

detailed fencing manual with text and illustrations devoted

solely to practical swordsmanship. His methodology

included many refinements, several of which remained in

use into the nineteenth century wherever cut-and-dinist

fencing was practiced.

RIGHT

Ridolfo Capo FerroItalian (Cagji), born ca. 1558

Gran sirmdacro ddl'arte e deU uso ddla sdierma, di Ridolfo Capo Fero

da Caglie, maestro deU'eccdsa natione alemanna, neW indUa cittd

di Siena

(A Complete Representation of the Art and Practice of Fencing, by

Ridolfo Capo Ferro of Caglie, Teacher of the SuUime German Nation,

in the Famous City of Siena)

Siena, 1610

Capo Ferro's precise and rationally organized book repre-

sents the apogee of the Italian rapier school. It largely

defined the form in which the school flourished across •

Europe for much of the seventeenth century, and from

which smallsword techniques subsequently developed.

The text is attractively illustrated with engravings by

Rafiaello Schiamirossi (ca. 1572-1622), and is divided into

thirteen chapters ranging from a general introduction to

dear explanations of timing, distance, posture, guards, and

attacks. Although Capo Ferro included the left-hand dag-

ger, he emphasized the use of the rapier alone as the most

eflfective means of both offense and defense.

10

Nicoletto Giganti

Italian, active Venice ca. 1600

Newe Fechtkunst, oder Schawplatz/darauff allerhand Arten zuverset-

zen und zuschlagen mitdem Rapier allein /und mit Rapier und

Dolchen zusamm/vortestellet

(The New Art of Fencing, or The Theater in Which Is Shown Every

Type of Parry and Blow with RapierAlone and with Rapier and

Dagger Together)

Frankfurt, 1622

Giganti was the forerunner of Salvator Fabris and Ridolfo

Capo Ferro in bringing Italian rapier fencing to its highest

degree of refinement. Beginning in 1606 books by Giganti

were published in Italian, French, and German, including

bilingual editions hke this German and French example,

translated and published by Jacob de Zeter. Giganti was

the first fencing master to clearly explain the advantages

of the lunge and to apply it to most of his attack strate-

gies. His methods represent a transition in the Italian

school between use of the rapier with a companion

dagger and the preference for the rapier alone.

II

Girard Thibault

Flemish (Antwerp), died ca. 1629

Academie de I'espee de Girard Thihault, d'Anvers, ou se demonstrent

par reegks mathematiques sur kfondement d'un cercle mysterieux, la

iheorie et pratique des vrais et iusqu'd present incogttus secrets du

maniement des armes a pied et a cheval

(The Academy of the Sword by Girard Thibault, of Antwerp, wherein

Are Set Forth by Mathematical Rules, on the Basis of a Mysterious

Circle, the True and until Now Unknown Secrets of the Use of

Weapons on Foot and on Horseback)

Leiden, 1628

Generally acknowledged as the most lavish and artistically

accompHshed fencing book ever produced, Thibault's

Academy of the Sword was supported by the patronage of

King Louis XIII of France and several other European

rulers. Its elaborate illustrations, including forty-six double-

page plates, are signed by sixteen Flemish engravers. The

book is devoted to the Spanish school of fence, as estab-

lished earlier by Geronimo de Carranga and Luis Pacheco

de Narvaez. Thibault died shordy before its publication,

never having completed the projected second part, which

was to have dealt with equestrian combat.

12

Jl(fng^rtuff âlu tin w<nlQ ^6^<t Dann ban ttcfy fnU/onD Dritt Mn^tn la^mb oorfic^ aumtnl\omûtaUmmnmnMmU Woâf^m/ mmtn ©olcfe Rr«cf< »ol»ortHtfe6^n«»^/ «vi« Weft

Sebastian Heussler

German (Nuremberg), active early to mid-i/th century

Neu kunstlich Fechtbuch darinnenyoo Stuck im ainfachen Rapier, wie

audi ettliche im Rapier vnd Dolch, defi wetheriimbten Fecht: und

lehrnieisters Sig. Salvator Fdbrida Padoa, so wol auch anderer

italianischen undfranzdsichen Fechter...

(New Artistic Fencing Book in Which There Areôo Movements with

Rapier Alone, as well as Many with Rapier and Dagger, from the Well-

Known Fencing Master and Instructor Signer Salvator Fahrida of

Padua, as well as Other Italian and French Fencers. ..)

Nuremberg, 1615 and 1645

The influence of Italian fencing masters in Germany is

especially apparent in the works of the Nuremberg fencing

instructor Sebastian Heussler, who cites Salvator Fabris as

his inspiration for the two books bound together in this

volume, and Capo Ferro for other editions. The first book

is unusual in that the dates on the title page and of the

author's preface have been changed by hand from 1615 to

1645. It is bound with a 1615 edition of another book by

Heussler, devoted solely to the use of rapier and dagger.

This is followed by twelve unnumbered plates showing

dagger fighting and the use of rapier and cloak.

13

ABOVE

Johann Georg PaschenGerman (Saxony), active mid- to late 17th century

Kurtzejedoch deutliche Beschreihing handlend vom Fechten auf Stosz

und Hieh

(Brief but Clear Description Concerning Fencing with the Thrust and

the Cut)

Halle, 1664

Paschen published at least five fencing books between 1657

and 1683. This edition is dedicated to Johann Georg II,

prince-elector of Saxony (r. 1656-81), whom Paschen served

as Pagen Hoffmeistern (master of the court pages) in Magede-

burg. The first part of the book demonstrates a modified

form of rapier technique, showing the influence of proto-

smallsword fencing as it was then being developed in France.

The second part is devoted to the more martially oriented

method of fighting with the edge of the sword, rather

than the point.

Jeann Daniel L'AngeFrench, active Germany, mid- to late 17th century

Deutliche und griindliche ErMarung der adelichen und ritterlichen

freyen Fecht-Kunst. Lectionen auff den Stofi und derm Gebrauchs

eigentlicher Nachricht. Auff die rechte italianische Art und Manir. .

.

(Clear and Thorough Explanation of the Noble and Knightly Free Art

of Fencing. Selections Concerning the Thrust and an Accurate

Description of Its Usage. In the Correct Italian Style and Manner. . .)

Heidelberg, 1664

L'Ange was the fencing master at Heidelberg University

and at the court of Karl I (1617-1680), prince-elector of the

Palatinate of the Rhine and duke of Bavaria. His book is

an example of the late Italian school of rapier fencing,

as it was practiced in Germany well into the eighteenth

century. The frontispiece displays a portrait of L'Ange

beneath a poetic couplet, which probably would have

expressed the sentiments of many fencing masters: "In

God lies my salvation / But my sword is my protection."

14

Francisco Antonio de EttenhardSpanish, active mid- to late 17th century

Compendio de losjundamentos de la verdadera destreza yfUosopa. Ae

las armas, dedicado a la catolica, sacra, y real magestad del rey nuestro

senor D. Carlos Segundo, momrca de Espana, ydelas Indias

(Compendium of the Fundamentals of the True SMts and Philosophy

of Arms, Dedicated to the Catholic, Sacred, and Royal Majesty of the

King Our Lord Don Carlos the Second, Monarch of Spain, and the Indies

)

Madrid, 1675

Ettenhard's work shows the continuity of the Spanish

school, which remained faithful to the complex geometric

principles laid down by Luis Pacheco de Narvaez and

embellished by Gerard Thibault.

Jean Baptiste Le Perche du CoudrayFrench, active mid- to late 17th century

L'exercise des armes, ou Maniment dufleuret, pour ayder la memoire

de ceux qui sont amateurs de cet art

(The Exercise of Arms, or Handling the Foil, as an Aid to the Memory

of Those Who AreAmateurs of This Art)

Paris, n.d. (1750)

This is a slightly amended reprint of a book originally pub-

lished in 1676, when the French style of smallsword fenc-

ing was beginning to flourish. It is one of the first books to

focus on the use of the foil, as opposed to the sword, as a

graceful pastime and a refined form of gentlemanly exer-

cise. Le Perche was a member of the prestigious Academic

d'Armes, the guUdHke association of fencing masters

founded with royal patronage in Paris about 1570. He is

credited with formulating the use of the riposte, a tech-

nique fundamental to modem fencing.

Wernesson de LiancourFrench, died 1732

Le maistre d'armes, ou L'exercice de I'espie seulk dans sa perfection

(The Master of Arms, or The Exercise cf the Sinê Sword in

Its Perfection)

Amsterdam, 1692

This edition of de Liancour's Le maistre d'armes is a

slightly simplified reduction of the original version, pub-

lished in 1686. These books were among the most influen-

tial in establishing and spreading the new French style of

fencing in Europe and England well into the eighteenth

century. Using a smaller, lighter thrusting sword than the

rapier common in Italy and Germany, French smallsword

techniques as refined by de Liancour emphasized speed,

finesse, and economy of motion. De Liancour is also cred-

ited with developing the lunge into its fuUy modem form.

Bondi di MazoItalian (Venice), active late 17th century

La spada maestra di me, Bondi di Mazo da Venetia: Libro dove si trat-

tano i vantaggi della nobilissima professione della scherma si del cam-

inare, girare, & ritirarsi, come delferire sicuramente, e difendersi

(The MasteAy Sword, byMe Bondi di Mazofrom Venice: A Book

wherein Are Treated the Benefits of the Most Noble Profession of

Fencing, in the Advancing, Turning, and Retreating, as well as How

to Strike with Certainty, and Defend Oneself)

Venice, 1696

Henry Blackwell

English, active late 17th to mid-i8th century

The Enîsh Fencing-Master: or, The Compleat Tuterour of the Small

Sword. Wherein the Truest Method, after a Mathematical Rule, Is

Plainly Laid Down. Shewing also How Necessary It Isfor All Gentlemen

to Learn This Noble Art. In a Dialogue between Master and Scholar

London, 1702

This appears to be the earliest edition of BlackweU's book,

which was republished in two editions in 1702 and 1705

with additional illustrations, and in a revised edition in 1730

retided The Gentleman's Tutorfor the Small-Sword. As a pro-

fessional Master of Defense Blackwell approached

smallsword fencing as a means of lethal combat and not

merely as a gentiemanly exercise. His later book is largely

based on the practices of Italian rapier masters of the early

seventeenth century, perhaps in response to what he saw

as the increased rarefaction of smallsword fencing.

15

Francisco Lorenz de RadaSpanish, active late 17th to early iSth century

Nobleza de la espada, cvyo esplendor se expressa en tres lihros, segm

ciencia, arte, y esperiencia. Lihro primero, de la ciencia del instrvmento

armigero espada. Libra segundo, arte del instrumento armigero espada.

Libra tercero, experiencia del'instrumento armigera

(The Nability af the Sward, Whose Splendor Is Expressed in Three

Books, According to Science, Art, and Experience. Book One, concern-

ing the Science of the Warlike Sword. Book Two, the Art of the War-

like Sword. Book Three, the Experience of the Warlike Sword)

Madrid, 1705

Rada's three volumes represent the most detailed treat-

ment of swordmanship and the Spanish school of fence

published in Spanish. Complex mathematical principles

defming distance, footwork, lines of attack, and positions

of defense are laid out in a series of ornate diagrams.

Despite the apparent artificiality of this system, the fight-

ing abilities of Spanish swordsmen were highly regarded

throughout Europe. As late as the end of the eighteenth

century the works of the leading smallsword masters such

as Guillaume Danet and Domenico Angelo included spe-

cial techniques for duels with Spaniards.

16

Johann Andreas SchmidtGerman, Zeblitz (Saxony), active i8th century

Leib-besMrmende undfeinden. trotz-bietende Fecht-kimst; oAer. Leidit

und getreue Answeisung auf StoJS und Hieh zierlich und sicker zu

fechten; neist einem curieusen Unterridit vom Voltigiren und Ringen.

(The Lifisaving and Foe-D^ngArt ofFencing or: Easy and Tnut-

worthy Instructions on How to Fence with Thrust-and-Cut Gracefidly

and Confidently; together with Some Highly Interesting Lessons

Concerning the VaidtingHorse and Wrestling)

Nuremberg, 1713

This book is the earliest of several works by Schmidt that

were published between 1713 and 1816, the later editions

appearing posthumously. Schmidt held the prestigious

post of Fencing and Drill Master to the city of Nuremberg.

He taught practical methods of fencing with the point,

with die edge, and combining the two. Schmidt's chapter

on the vaulting horse, once a necessary cavalry exercise, is

a precursor to the pommel horse of modem gymnastics.

His later books cover tihe use of the saber, an essential cav-

alry weapon in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Sir William HopeScottish, 1660-1729

Hope's New Method of Fencing: or, The True and Solid Art of Flîting

with the Back-Sword, Sheering-Sword, Small-Sword, and Sword and

Pistol; Freedfrom the Errors of the Schools

Edinburgh, 1714

Hope was recognized by his contemporaries as the great-

est British authority on swordsmanship. He published

eight influential books on the subject, in various editions,

between 1687 and 1729. In this book he significantly modi-

fied his previous views to advocate a position knovm as the

hanging guard, proclaiming it to be the optimal offensive

and defensive guard for any type of sword. In 1692 Sir

William founded the Society of Swordsmen in Scotland,

in hopes of bringing to British fencing masters the pres-

tige and credibility enjoyed by their counterparts on the

Continent. Despite his efforts, however, the Society was

never granted a royal charter, remaining merely an associ-

ation of interested amateurs.

17

Anthon Friedrich KahnGerman, active early to mid-i8th century

Anfangsgrunde der Fechtkunst nebst einer Vorrede von dem Nutzen der

Fechtkunst un den Vorzugen iieserAnwdsung

(Elements of the Art of Fencing together with a Prologue Regarding the

Benefits of the Art of Fencing and the Merits of These Instructions)

Gottingen, 1739

German universities were major centers of fencing

instruction from as early as the seventeenth century.

Anthon Friedrich Kahn, a celebrated fencing master at

Gottingen University, was himself a pupil of Heinrich

Wilhelm Kreussler atJena University. Kreussler was a

member of one of Germany's most renowned family

dynasties of fencing masters, which flourished for nearly

two hundred years. Kahn, Uke Kreussler, taught the use of

cut-and-thrust fencing, as well as a method intended for

dueling that emphasized the use of the point, but was dis-

tinct from the Italian and French schools of late rapier and

smallsword techniques.

CopyrigniM mntii'l.11

ABOVE

Domenico Angelo (Domenico Angelo

Malevolti Tremamondo)Italian (Livorno), 1717-1802

L' ecole des flrmes, avec I'explication generale des principaks attitudes

et positions concemant L'escrime

(The School of Fencing, with a General Explanation of the Principal

Attitudes and Positions Peculiar to the Art)

London, 1765

Angelo is the most well known of all historic fencing mas-

ters due to the fame he achieved among his contempo-

raries, the existence of a detailed biography written by his

son, and to the critical and artistic success of his book. The

School of Fencing. The book was so weU regarded that it

was selected by Diderot as the best of its genre and used to

illustrate the entry on fencing (tscrime) in his famous

Encyclopedic. It remains the definitive exposition of

smallsword techniques in their most fully developed form.

Guillaume DanetFrench, active mid- to late rSth century

L' art des armes, ou La maniere la plus certain de se servir utilcment de

I'epee, soitpour attaquer, soit pour se defendre, simplifiee& demonstree

dans toute son etendue & sa perfection, suivant les meilleurs principes

de theorie ir de pratique adoptes actuellement en France

(The Art of Arms, or The Most Reliable Method to Profitably Use the

Sword, Eitherfor Attack or Defense, Simplified and Demonstrated in

All Its Perfection According to the Best Principles of Theory and

Practice Currently Adopted in France)

Paris, 1766

Partly in response to the success of Angelo's School of

Fencing, Danet wrote his L'art des armes to assert France's

claim to supremacy in use of the smallsword. It was also

his attempt to codify and simplify the terminology and

pedagogy of the French school of fence. Although he was

the head of the prestigious Academie des Armes, Danet's

suggested reforms were openly attacked by his fellow aca-

demicians, forcing him to defend his theories in a second

volume, published in 1767.

19

Guillaume DanetFrench, active mid- to late i8th century

Van des armes, on La naniere la plus certain de se serrir utilement de

I'epee, soil pour attaquer, soitpourse defendre, simplifiee& demon-

stree dans toute son etendue& sa perfection, suivant les meilleurs

principes de thiorie ir depratique adoptes actueBanent en France ...

Tome second, contenant la refutation des critiques, 6r la suite du

meme traite

(The Art ofArms, or The Most Reliable Method to Profitahly Use the

Sword, EitherforAttack or Defense, Simplified and Demonstrated in

AH Its Perfection According to the Best Principles of Theory and

Practice Currently Adopted in France ... Volume Two, Containing the

Rebuttal of the Criticisms, and the Continuation of the Same Treatise)

Paris, 1767

Mr. Angelo (Domenico Angelo Malevolti

Tremamondo)Italian (Livomo), 1717-1802

The School of Fencing, with a General Explanation of the Principal

Attitudes and Positions Peculiar to the Art

London, 1787

This is a later edition of the original School of Fencing in a

smaller, pocket-sized format.

20

Swords^ Rapiers, Parrying Daggers, and Related Objects

SwordWestern European (possibly Italian), ca. 1450

Steel, copper, wood, and leather; weight: 2 lbs. 8 oz.

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25.1096

Known as arming swords, weapons of this type were worn

by noblemen on a daily basis during times of peace and

were also used by armored knights in battle. The blade

bears the "running-wolf" mark of Passau, Germany,

which was famous for the quality of its sword blades.

Dagger (Ballock Knife)

Possibly French or German, late 15th century

Steel and wood; weight: 8 oz.

Gift ofJean Jacques ReubeU, in memory of his mother, Julia C.

Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City,

1926 26.145.10

The ballock knife, also referred to as a kidney dagger, was

widely used in the later Middle Ages, in both civiHan and

military contexts. In Talhoffer's Pecktbuch it is shown in use

by armored combatants to deliver a coup de grace, and in

the section devoted to unarmored knife fighting.

ABOVE

Helm for Combat on FootEnglish or Flemish, late 15th century

Steel; weight: 12 lbs. 12 oz.


In the nineteenth century this helmet was recorded as

coming from St. Mary's Church, Aylesbury, Buckingham-

shire, where it presumably once hung above the tomb of

its original owner.

21

Hand and a Half SwordGerman, ca. 1500

Steel and leather; weight: 4 lbs.

Purchase, The Sulzberger Foundation, Inc., and Helmut Nickel

Gifts, Rogers Fund, Bequest of Stephen V Grancsay, by

exchange, and Funds from various donors, 1988 1988.26

The blade is incised with the mark of the Ottoman arsenal

in Istanbul, indicating that this sword was captured as war

booty from a European knight. It is one of the few swords

to survive from the early sixteenth century with its origi-

nal hilt and blade intact.

CopyrigniM mntii'l.11

SwordItalian or Spanish, ca. 1500

Steel, gilt bronze, wood, and textile;

weight: 2 lbs. 15 oz.


This early sword is one of the few to retain fragments of

its original grip bindings, here consisting of red and green

silk. The stiff, acutely pointed blade is designed to pierce

the gaps between the plates of an opponent's armor.

23

DaggerGerman or Italian, ca. 1500-1525

Steel, silver, wood, and fish skin; weight: i lb.

Gift ofJean Jacques ReubeU, in memory of his mother, Julia C

.


1926 26.145.69

This sturdy dagger is the type seen in early Italian fencing

books like those of Achille Marozzo. It predates the

improvements that characterize later parrying daggers,

such as long, often curved quiUons and a side ring to pro-

tect the back of the hand.

Dueling Gauntlet (Manopala da Presa)

Italian, ca. 1550-75

Steel and leather; weight: i lbs. 9 oz.


In the sixteenth century it was often considered better to

parry (blocking an opponent's blade) with the left hand

rather than tie up one's own rapier in deflecting a blow. Agauntlet, usually of leather but sometimes of steel, was

worn to protect the left hand. The pakn of this gauntlet is

Hned with mail, which would allow the duelist to grasp his

opponent's blade without being cut.

SwordNorth Italian or French, ca. 1540-60

Steel and wood; weight: 2 lbs. 6 oz.

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25. 1155

BELOW

Parrying Dagger (Pugnale Bolognese)

Italian, ca. 1550-75

Partly gilt steel, brass, and wood; weight: 15 oz.

Gift ofJeanJacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C.

Coster, and of his wife, Adeline B. Post, both of New York City,

1926 26.145.94

Designed to be used in tandem with a rapier, this dagger is

fitted with a side ring, recurved quillons, and a depression

at the base of one side of the blade to accommodate the

thumb and facilitate a firmer grip. The waves in the blade

may be intended to act like "speed bumps" in breaking the

impact of a blow from an opponent's blade.

24

Parrying Gauntlet (Guanto da Presa)

Italian, late i6th-early 17th century

Leather and iron; weight: 8 oz.

Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various

donors, 1929 29.158.218

Beneath its leather exterior this parrying gauntlet is lined

with a protective layer of mail.

Buckler (Rotellino da Pugno alia Milanese)

Italian, ca. 1570

Steel and copper; weight: 2 lbs. 6 oz.


Bucklers are small shields that were carried on the belt or

scabbard. They were a popular form of defense from at

least as early as the thirteenth century until the late six-

teenth or early seventeenth century.

LEFT

Buckler (Targhetta da Pugno)Italian, ca. 1550-75

Blued and gilt steel; weight: 2 lbs. 15 oz.

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald S. Lauder, 1983

1983.136

The hook in the center of the buckler

was designed so it could hang from the

sword belt, ready for use. The raised con-

centric bars were intended to trap, and

possibly break, an opponent's blade.

25

RIGHT

RapierEuropean, ca. 1563-75


Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25,1190

This is a classic form of late-sixteenth-century

rapier, sometimes referred to as a "swept hilt"

because of the spiraling design of the bars that

surround the grip.

LEFT

Parrying Dagger (Pugnale Bolognese)

Italian, ca. 1570

Steel, wood, and leather; weight: i lb. 5 oz.

Bequest ofJean Jacques ReubeU, in memory of his mother, JuUa C. Coster,

of New York, 1933 34.57.21

This large parrying dagger is well suited for use against the cutting

blows of a sword and the thrusts of a rapier. Its large side ring and

outward curved qmllons provide the back of the hand and the wrist

with ample protection jfrom an opponent's attacks.

26

RapierItalian, ca. 1570-75

Steel, traces of gilding, iron, and wood; weight: 2 lbs. 8 oz.

Rogers Fund, 1904 04.3.287

RapierHilt: probably German; blade: Italian, 1575-1600

Steel, wood, and leather; weight: 3 lbs. 6 oz.


The blade of this rapier is a prime example of the most

developed form of the sixteenth-century cut-and-thrust

rapier. It is extremely long (49% in.) and acutely pointed

to maximize its effectiveness in thrusting, and it also has a

sharp double edge, well suited for cutting.

RIGHT

Pair of Practice SwordsGerman, ca. 1575-1625

Steel, wood, leather, and brass;

weight: 2 lbs. 14 oz., 2 lbs. 13 oz.

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25. iiio and .iiii

Purposely made with dull edges and blunt tips, these prac-

tice swords are descendants of knightly war swords, which

were made to be wielded with either one hand or two.

Known simply as the long sword, this type was a specialty

of the German school, which continued to practice its use

long after it had been abandoned elsewhere.

OPPOSITE BELOW

Rapier and Parrying DaggerGerman, ca. 1580; rapier blade, Spanish (Toledo)

Partly gilt steel, and wood;

weight: 3 lbs. 4 oz. (rapier), 11 oz. (dagger)

Bashford Dean Memorial Collection

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. RobertW de Forest, 1929 29.157.13, .14

Rapiers and parrying daggers were frequendy made as sets

and decorated to match. The blunt tip and dulled edges of

this rapier blade indicate that it was originally made for a

practice weapon. It is signed byJuan Martinez of Toledo, a

royal bladesmith to King Philip II of Spain.

Rapier Carrier and Belt

German (probably Saxony), ca. 1600

Leather, silk, velvet, and metallic thread; engraved and gilt steel


donors, 1929 29.158. 729

From the mid-sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth century

the rapier was usually worn at the left side, its sheath

thrust through a sling-Uke carrier suspended firom a waist

belt. A diagonal strap reached firom the carrier across the

fi-ont of the belt to hold the rapier at a convenient angle.

Some sword belts were embroidered with designs that

matched those of the wearer's clothing and perhaps even

the decoration of his rapier hilt. This example, richly

embroidered in stumpwork (raised designs) with silver and

gold-wrapped threads, is fi-om the armory of the dukes of

Saxony, in Dresden.

Parrying Dagger and Sheath

Attributed to Daniel Sadeler

German, active Munich, 1610-32

Steel, gilt steel, leather, and wood;

weight: 14 oz.


Daniel Sadeler was a renowned specialist in the chiseled

and gilt decoration of iron and steel. He worked at the

court of the dukes of Bavaria, succeeding his equally

famous elder brother Emanuel in 1610. Working in Munich

firom the 1590s to the 1630s the Sadelers produced some of

the most fmely decorated firearms and edged weapons

ever created.

Transitional Rapier

Hilt: possibly French or Spanish; blade: Spanish (Toledo), ca. 1625-50

Steel and wood; weight: i lb. 8 oz.


The dishUke guard, short qtdllons and light blade are all

characteristic of the early stages of the development firom

rapier to smallsword.

29

Rapier

Hilt: probably English; blade: German (Solingen), ca. 1630-40

Steel and wood; weight: 2 lbs.

Rogers Fund, 1904 04.3.1

30

Rapier

Hilt: probably Dutch, ca. 1650; blade: German (Munich)

Iron and steel; giip ofwood and copper (modern);

weight: i lb. 10 oz.

Purchase, Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from vari-

ous donors, by exchange, 1995 1995.51

The skillfully chiseled iron hilt is decorated with a series of

grotesque faces that look the same whether seen right side

up or upside down. The simplified construction of the

hUt—^with a knuckle guard, single side ring, and only one

qviillon—reflects the need for lighter, smaller rapiers,

which came into j^hion in the mid-seventeenth century.

31

Cup-Hilted RapierItalian (Bresda), ca. 1650-60



The cup hilt was developed in Italy or Spain about 1625 and

was the predominant form of rapier used in Spain and in

Spanish territories until the late eighteenth century.

Parrying DaggerItalian, ca. 1650



This type of dagger, sometimes referred to as a main

gauche, was used in conjunction with a cup-hilted rapier.

Carrier for a Cup-Hilted RapierNorth Italian, or Spanish, ca. 1650

Engraved steel


This type of carrier was designed specifically for a cup-hilted

rapier. It was clipped to the top of the rapier scabbard by a

spht prong. A semicircular bar above die prong adjusts to

hold the rapier at a set angle. There is also an adjustable

svsdvel beneath the buckle, which was passed through a

waist belt.

Scarf SwordPossibly French or Dutch, ca. 1650-75

Steel, gold, and wood; weight: i lb. 4 oz.

The Collection of Giovanni P. Morosini, Presented by his

daughter Giulia, 1932 32.75.221

The scarf sword, a decorative weapon faUing between the

rapier and the smallsword, derives its name from the fash-

ion of wearing it thrust through a scarf or sash, rather

than hung from the more usual sword belt.

SmallswordDutch (?), ca. 1660



donors, 1929 29.158.713

The hilt is chiseled in high relief with crowded ranks of

fighting horsemen. This weapon is part of a large group of

similarly decorated smallswords of unknown origin that

were made possibly in Holland or Prance.

Dueling RapierItalian (Bresda), 1680-1700



The date and the unusual length of the blade (49% in.),

which is designed only for thrusting, suggest that this

rapier was intended specifically for use in duels or in exhi-

bition bouts.

32

BELOW

SmallswordEnglish (London), hallmarked for 1747-48

Silver, steel, and wood; weight: 15 oz.

Gift of Eric Vaule in memory of his mother, Rae D. Vaule, 1991

1991.115

The smallsword could be both a deadly weapon and a styl-

ish costume accessory for a fashionable gentleman. The

silver hilt of this smallsword is decorated with an imagina-

tive array of Rococo masks and shells. It is a fine example

of the application of contemporary decorative styles to

the design of sword hilts.

Bag for a Smallsword Hilt

French (Paris), ca. 1725-50

Leather and ink

Rogers Fund, 1995 1995.52

A finely made smallsword was sometimes supplied with a

fitted storage bag to protect the hilt. This bag is printed

with the trade card of the Parisianûrbisiewr (cutler)

GuiUaume Pages (recorded 1709-57). It includes his shop

sign, Au Dauphin Royal (At the Royal Dolphin), and the

advertisement that he "makes and sells all kinds of beauti-

ful swords in the most current styles."

BELOW

SmallswordMarked GS (Possibly George Shaw)

Enghsh (London), hallmarked for 1689-90; blade dated 1674

Steel and silver; weight: i lb. 5 oz.

Gift ofJeanJacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Juha C.


1926 26.145.346

This hilt displays, in an early form, the basic features that

continued to characterize English and American

smallswords throughout the eighteenth century

SmallswordMarked I.R.

English (London), hallmarked for yjjo-tl

Silver, partly gilt, and steel; weight: 14 oz.

Rogers Fund, by exchange, 1995 1995.90

34

LEFT

Smallsword with ScabbardMaster GG (active Paris, ca. 1744)

French (Paris), hallmarked for 1773-74

Gold, steel, wood, and fish skin;


Purchase, Gift of William H. Riggs, by exchange and Annie

Laurie Aitken Trust Gift, 1998 I998.35ab

This is one of the finest Neoclassical French smallswords

of the eighteenth century. The hilt is cast entirely of yel-

low and green gold and ranks with the highest quality

Parisian goldsmiths' work of the period. It is modeled with

figures of the classical deities Mars, Minerva, Jupiter, and

Hercules, and the personifications ofJustice and

Prudence. This smallsword represents the final and most

refined stage in the development of civilian swords,

shordy before they ceased to be worn in western Europe.

Smallsword with ScabbardFrench, ca. 1780-90

Partly gilt steel, silver, wood, and leather;


Gift ofJean Jacques ReubeU, in memory of his mother, Julia C.


1926 26.145.29oab

The steel hilt is chiseled in low relief with rrulitary figures

in contemporary and antique costume set against a stip-

pled and gilt background. This decorative theme is found

on sword hilts from the seventeenth through the end of

the eighteenth century.

35

CopyrigniM mntPi'l.il

SmallswordEnglish, ca. 1790-1800

Steel; weight: 14 oz.

Rogers Fund, 1916 16.164

Faceted cut-steel hilts were fashionable in England during

the last quarter of the eighteenth century and are still

worn on ceremonial occasions at court in Great Britain.

This finely made hilt exemplifies the style at its most com-

plex and refined.

Documents

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM · 2015. 2. 11. · MaximilianI,vonHabsburg Austrian,1459-1519 Weisskunig(TheWhiteKing) Vienna,1775 includingthemasteryofswordsmanshipandothermartial skills.HansBurgkmair(1473-1531